#ChroniclesOfAWriter – Should you wait for inspiration or not?

We put up the image below with the caption, “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of is just show u and get to work” on The Sparkle Writer’s Hub Instagram page and the comments this post received were quite interesting.

Some agreed with it 100%.

Others agreed partially, stating the point that they come up with their best work when they are inspired.

And there were those who were absolutely offended. How could we dare to make fun of those who wait for inspiration before they write or do anything else?

All the comments are valid from the different angles from which they were made.

It’s great to write when you are inspired. The words flow faster; they come out with a rich smoothness that you almost don’t want to stop writing. Usually, those words are a instant hit with the readers. It gets them yearning for more.

But what happens when inspiration doesn’t come?

And you are a freelance writer who makes money from writing?

Or you have a blog and your readers are eagerly waiting for your next blog post because the previous one was out of this world?

The pressure can be quite real.

The truth is writers who wait for inspiration every time will not go very far.

Yes I said it.

Inspiration is great. I love it when I’m walking on the road and this brilliant idea drops right from heaven and I turn it into words. I love it when I get inspired to write from a conversation with friends or just by observing the daily mundane activities of life.

The problem is inspiration does not come every time. It’s not reliable. It can be here today and gone tomorrow.

Dear writer, I hope you know that your success as a writer will not come to you by chance. A certain amount of deliberateness is involved. Waiting for inspiration to show up is definitely not a winning strategy.

I cannot count how many times I’ve had to create content without being inspired. Sometimes I get a phone call first thing in the morning, “Doyin, we need you to come up with content for our brochure asap” or “We need you to quickly write a blog post for us.” I can’t say no but inspiration has taken a sabbatical. What do I do? I ginger myself and write. No excuses. Sometimes inspiration will find me when I am writing; sometimes it doesn’t but I still deliver excellent work to my clients.

You must develop the ability to write whether inspiration shows up or not; not just write, but also write amazing stuff without inspiration.

It’s possible. It simply takes discipline; forcing yourself to write when you don’t feel like. Have a ‘store’ where you deposit ideas for those moments when you lack inspiration.

Write daily. Your brain will get used to writing without inspiration when you’ve formed a daily writing habit. Above all, consume words; read, research and read some more.

With or without inspiration, you can be an excellent writer.

About Adedoyin Jaiyesimi

Adedoyin is a Content and Social Media Strategist. She is the Founder of The Sparkle Writer’s Hub where she helps people to find expression through writing and monetize their writing gift. She is also the Lead Content Strategist at Content Craft, a content and social media consulting company that helps businesses to get returns on their social media investment through the use of creative content and social media strategy. Adedoyin’s work has been featured in Y! Magazine (now Y! Africa), Connect Nigeria, The W Community, 234 Finance, Pride Magazine Nigeria, amongst others.